'Bogus cops' arrested for Cape Town hijackings

By Faeza

24 January 2017

Western Cape police on Monday arrested four suspects in Blackheath for allegedly pretending to be cops and carrying out a series of hijackings in the city.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana on Tuesday said that when the suspects - who are believed to be members of a syndicate - were taken into custody, items including copies of fake police identity certificates, police reflector jackets, blue lights, computer equipment used for reproducing police identity documents, and an unlicensed firearm were seized.

She said information received after a Somali businessman's truck was hijacked in Ravensmead had led to the arrests in Blackheath on Monday night.

Rwexana said eight vehicles were also seized.

Two of the seized vehicles were found to have been hijacked, she said. One was a VW Caddy that was hijacked in Elsies River in November 2016 and a Kia 13-ton truck that was hijacked in Klapmuts earlier this month.

The police flying squad and a vehicle tracking company were involved in the sting operation.

The four suspects - two men and two women, aged between 30 and 40 years old - were expected to appear in the Bellville Magistrate's Court on Thursday or Friday.

They are facing charges of hijacking and the illegal possession of firearms.